Abacination: There Is A Band

What happens when blinding becomes a weapon of torture, punishment, and political power? In this episode of Torture: A Dark History, Kevin Young and Dan Hourigan explore the brutal history of abacination — the deliberate blinding of a person as a form of torture or punishment.

From biblical stories and the blinding of thousands of Bulgarian prisoners after the Battle of Kleidion, to Persian emperors who blinded members of their own royal families, and even forced solar gazing in Iran, the history of blinding is filled with brutal examples of punishment and political control. We also look at methods of eye torture, including hot pokers, boiling liquids, chemical burns from lime, and other methods used to destroy a person's sight.

Abacination, blinding, torture, executions, punishment, and the history of humanity's darkest practices — all with the twisted humor you've come to expect from Torture: A Dark History.

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References:

Hirsch, Arnold E., ed., The Book of Torture and Executions (Toronto: Golden Books, 1944), part 1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abacination#:~:text=Abacination%20is%20a%20form%20of,plate%20held%20before%20their%20eyes.